London: Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova, born three months apart in Warsaw, Poland and Freehold, New Jersey, were highly-rated juniors. As professional athletes, they meet for the first time in the title-round at Wimbledon, where they’ll battle for the Venus Rosewater Dish on Saturday. Swiatek, a five-time major winner, transitioned swiftly from the juniors, announcing her arrival as a 19-year-old with a triumph at Roland Garros. She added three more majors to her tally in Paris, and one in New York.

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While the Pole, who first claimed the No. 1 ranking in April 2022, staying there for a total of 125 weeks, claimed the centre stage empathically, Anisimova has traversed the scenic route. The American, who made the Roland Garros semifinal as an 18-year-old, lost her father Konstantin, her long-time coach, to a sudden heart attack in August 2019.
Anisimova was ranked 46 in the world when she announced in April 2023 on social media that she was taking a mental health break. It lasted eight months. In January last year, she was ranked 442, and later in the summer, played the qualifying draw at Wimbledon ranked 189.

Anisimova’s decision to prioritize herself was met with questions, the length of time in particular. Could she make it back to No. 21, which was her career-high ranking at the time? “That was a little hard to digest because I did want to come back and still achieve a lot, win a Grand Slam one day,” she said.

“Me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritize yourself, is incredibly special to me.” The road back hasn’t been easy for Anisimova, but she has put in the work. “I really enjoy the training and the process, so for me it’s not like my hard work has paid off, because I really enjoy it,” she said. Swiatek, who has had struggles of her own, having tested positive for a banned substance, trimetazidine, last August, has been without a tournament title since Roland Garros last year. “Anybody who struggles and gets back at a better level, deserves a lot of respect,” Swiatek said of her opponent on Saturday. “Amanda is one who kept going forward in tough situations.” Either of the two will leave the All England Club’s grass courts as Wimbledon’s eighth consecutive first-time women’s champion.